FAMARS SxS identification/price? PIC HEAVY

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brody327

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Hello all,

I've had this one for a while now, and don't know much about it...any and all information you might have would be greatly appreciated, as I can't scare up much on Google.

12 gauge, good bores, wood looks like it might have been refinished (does have a big mark in the grip as seen ion the pics) but is nice, some minor dings here and there, tight action, appears to be hand engraved.


























Thanks,
Brody
 
I don't have much information on Famars, but the proof marks look to be between 1951 and 1962. Is that a 456F on the watertable? If that is April 1956 there should be a XII on the barrel flats. I can't see what is stamped on the flats. Nice looking shotgun though.
 
brody327 said:
I appreciate the response 58, do you or anyone else reading know how to go about having this thing properly appraised?
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I've got an ''Italian'' SxS that has a very similar stock shape. Foreend is the same. However mine got external hammers.

It think it would be a Miguel Larranaga (look him up) since yours share a lot of design feature with mine. Not worth much, but a nice shotgun.
 
Wikipedia has an entry for Famars detailing the partnership that formed the company and its current ownership.
Website www.famars.com

FAMARS, or Fabbrica Armi d’Abbiatico e Salvinelli, is an Italian gunmaker that manufactures bespoke shotguns and rifles. The company is best known for its patented detachable-lock designs and handcrafted woodwork and engraving. FAMARS is considered the top Italian best gun manufacturer and the primary force behind the global popularization of Italian engraving and fine guns that began in the 1960s.

The company was formed in 1967 according to my information. This appears to be a workmanlike early product of the Famars partnership and not one of the later "bespoke" guns which they are now famous for.
Italian date codes are roman numerals until 1974 and then letter pairs. If you google "Italian gun date codes" you should be able to find the info to date this gun.

I think that this modest but serviceable model of Italian double gun would be worth $500 to $700 at most. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The only real test of what a gun is worth is ultimately what someone will pay.
 
Brody, On the bottom or lower half of the barrels there should be a two or three roman numerals or letters, possibly in a rectangle. Could you tell us what they are? Thanks.
 
Hello all, I appreciate the responses. I am out of town on vacation until next Tuesday and won't be able to get the info from the barrels. As soon as I am back home, I'll post the info.

Thanks,
Brody
 
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Until then, have a look at this link, the only thing I have been able to find

http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=144355&an=0&page=3

The gun in the pics is identical to mine, except for the single trigger. The guy in the post spoke to someone at the FAMARS factory and was told it was worth quite a bit. This sounds too good to be true, and I know that this isn't likely, but after seeing the article a while back, it's been nagging at me to look into it a bit further.
 
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I see in the link you posted someone from the factory thought it might be worth around 700 Euros. That's about $1000.00. Prices vary from country to country. If you are trying to sell, the only thing you could do is list it for around $1000.00 and see what happens. However, if it has been refinished and has a few "dings", I do not think you will realize that price in this country. But I have been wrong before.
 
brody327 said:
The link said 6-8 thousand euros...
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Yes, you are right. However, that is total wishful thinking. There is no way the gun is even close to a $10,000.00 gun. It does not have the makings of a high end gun. By that I mean the wood is quite plain with no figure, it does not have a tear drop stock, it does not have a dolls head extension, I can't see a cross bolt or a hidden third fastener, no scalloped action, no side clips, no chopper lump barrels, it's a boxlock as opposed to a sidelock , double triggers as opposed to single selective, the wood stands quite proud of the metal and I believe the engraving is machine done. Now a gun doesn't have to have these features to be a nice gun, but you begin to see these things on guns that approach that kind of money. I think at $10,000.00 you would be owning it until you know what froze over. Not trying to be scarcastic about your gun but rather just pointing out various facts so you can figure out what you have. Where did you acquire the gun from. If you bought it, what kind of money did you pay?
 
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Yeah, I knew it was highly unlikely; it's like the stories of finding a Deusenberg under 30 years of dust in grandma's garage, you always hope...I guess this time it's just a Studebaker.

I received the gun a year or two ago on trade for a Lanber O/U. At the time I didn't have any misgivings about its potential "high value", I liked how it fit/carried. It was going to be an upland gun, and that's what I have been using it for, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't crashing through brambles and ruining a valuable piece.
 
And there is nothing wrong with the gun and it is nice. We always hope to find a hidden gem but alas I usually find out I paid too much. Oh well, if the gun fits you and is a joy to carry, you have made it over the first hurdle and value doesn't really matter. Actually, I never buy a SxS (or any gun for that matter) with the intent on making a profit at selling time. If I do so be it but my main reason for buying is because I like the gun. The guns I buy are pretty much vintage and I enjoy bringing them back to life. But, as I mentioned, I usually have far more sunk into them when I am finished than I will ever see out of them but profit was/is not my main concern once I decide to have one restored. The main thing is enjoy it.
 
Famars makes excellent firearms. However, the price point will mostly be influenced according to the currrent overall condition of your specimen, choke type etc. One place to start may be to compare that (price wise) with a Beretta 424 series shotgun in similar condition.
 
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